Triple Trouble: the Pranking Queen and Two Kings
by Rinoa-san
Summary: After a yr in America, Rena Sky is eager to return to Hogwarts, reuniting with her two best mates, & partners in crime, the Weasley twins. What mischief will they fall into? Will love unfold? Or will a hidden past come back to haunt them? FredXOCXGeorge


**A/N: Hello all! I am not stopping my other stories, I'm just having some writer's block. I have also once again started classes and moved into an apartment. Hoping to keep up with stories, but who knows right? I hope you enjoy this Harry Potter fanfic. **SPOILER ALERT** It will have two possible endings!**

**Reviews are love though not required. I hope you enjoy!**

**-Rinoa-san  
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><p>"<em>No…leave her alone!" she screamed.<em>

"_Stay back!"_

"_Mom I won't leave you!"_

"_And I won't let you get killed. Trust me. Just stay here and stay quiet."_

"_But…"_

"_Do as you're told, Rena!"_

_She was shoved into a dark closet and everything went black. There was shouting and banging, but she couldn't see. She managed to crack open the closet just enough to peak through. She heard the scream, saw a green light then everything was quiet._

_Chapter One:_

Rena Sky bolted upright in her seat as the flight attendant passed her.

"Is everything alright, Miss?" she asked politely.

Rena returned the smile.

"Yes, thank you. Just dozed off."

The flight attendant smiled and continued on down the aisle. Rena let out a soft sigh and leaned against the back of her chair.

_Stupid dream_, she thought bitterly.

It wasn't the first time she had dreamed of the night her mother was killed and she was certain it wouldn't be the last. Moving to America had done her little good. After a year, her father decided to let her return to England and go back to Hogwarts. She had to admit, she was thrilled her father didn't like her school in America. She hadn't hated it, but she didn't particularly care for it either. It was nothing like Hogwarts. She knew more about Hogwarts than most of its students and had cherished her time there. Really, who wouldn't love it when you had two of the best mates a girl could ask for? She smiled a little and felt herself calm down as she thought of her two best friends, Fred and George Weasley. They were the most fun people she could think of. Between their pranks and jokes, there was hardly a dull moment. She could just imagine the look on their faces when she showed up for a surprise visit. It would be even better when she told them that she was coming back to Hogwarts. She had caused her share of trouble when they were attending it before, but it would be different now.

That was the one surprise she wasn't looking forward to telling them. It was hard to imagine or even believe that her last prank had happened almost a year prior. How could she ever explain that one? She sighed and tried to shrug it off. It would work out. After all, she had been part of Gryffindor's troubled Golden Trio. Their pranks and mischief would become legends. Then again, it had been a year since she had been at Hogwarts. Maybe more had changed than she realized. She shook her head. She would have plenty of time to figure out what to expect in the upcoming year after she saw the Weasleys.

Rena reached into her carryon bag and pulled out one of her old school books. She had always made good marks. She loved to study, though it didn't always show. She flipped through the few pages of _Quidditch through the Ages_ before picking up where she had left off.

The rest of the flight seemed to pass by quickly. Before she knew it, she was getting off the plane and getting her trunk out from storage. She received some strange looks as she was only fourteen years old and traveling alone. She didn't pay the passing Muggles any attention. After all, it wasn't like she was doing anything considerably dangerous. It was just one plane ride. She rolled her trunk out to the front of the airport with some difficulty before hailing a cab. She gave the driver the address of one of the Muggle shops near the Leaky Cauldron. It was a relatively long ride, but she was too excited to really mind. Rena was only that much closer to seeing her two best friends. She was more excited than a child with too much sugar in a candy shop and toy store. It took most of her self-control to keep from leaping out of her seat.

"You sure you want to be dropped off here?" the driver asked, raising an eyebrow at her through the rearview mirror.

He had pulled on to the side of the road where she had directed him. It didn't seem like the best place to leave a fourteen year old girl on her own, but who was he to stop her really? Rena smiled at him, her grin stretching from ear to ear showing her excitement.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "I'll be okay. I'm meeting my friends and their family."

The driver still seemed a little skeptical, but helped her get her trunk out of the car and relayed the price of the ride to her. She pulled out the money from her pocket, checked to make sure it was her Muggle money, counted it, and handed it to the man. She thanked him for the ride and his help the waited until he pulled away before walking into the Leaky Cauldron.

The smell of alcohol was almost welcoming. She had only been to the Leaky Cauldron a few times before with her parents, but to her it was the first sign of home. America had been different, interesting, but it was nothing like home. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of being home and feeling like you belong. She knew she was only a few steps from Diagon Alley. As tempting as it was to go wander around, she knew she couldn't drag her trunk around with her everywhere. Besides, she would much rather go to the Burrow any day. She smiled at Tom, the bartender as she walked up.

"Little young to be here, young lady?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm just looking to use the fire place. I have my own floo powder," Rena replied with a smile.

"Well, alright then," he nodded, jerking his head in the direction of an old fire place off to the side. "It's over there. Remember to speak clearly. Don't want to end up in the wrong place."

She nodded and smiled as she dragged her trunk back toward the fire place. She dug through her carryon bag and pulled out a small pouch. She took out a pinch before putting it away. She stepped into the fireplace.

"The Burrow," she said clearly before tossing the powder and disappearing in green flames.

The rush was just how she remembered it. Her father wasn't a fan of traveling by floo powder so he rarely let her use it. She closed her eyes and let the wind rush past her. She opened them in time to land in the fire place of the Burrow. She couldn't help but smile at the site of the living room she had spent many afternoons with the Weasley twins. Mrs. Weasley came into the room and jumped a little hearing the sound of Rena's trunk settling next to her.

"Can I help you dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked cautiously.

Her wand was close at hand in case the matter turned dangerous. Mrs. Weasley was a kind, plump woman and her first priority would always be her family. If it seemed that they were threatened, she would do whatever it took to protect them. Then again, how many people would just show up in her fireplace and not even attempt to hide when she came in?

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Weasley," Rena smiled. "I know I'm a little early, and I would have owled, but my owl couldn't make the travel so my father is sending her later."

A flash of realization crossed Mrs. Weasely's face before the smile shown through.

"Oh Rena dear!" she said hurrying over to hug the young girl. "I'm so glad you made it safe! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow!"

"I know," Rena replied, returning the hug. "I took an airplane here and ended up getting here a day earlier than planned. I hope that won't be a problem."

"Of course not, dearie. It's never a problem. Oh the boys will be so excited to see you!"

Rena giggled. She was so excited to see the boys.

"I can't wait to see them, but I would like to keep it a secret just a little while longer. Maybe make some sort of grand entrance or something."

"Well, I'm sure we can come up with something later. You look absolutely exhausted!"

Rena smiled and let out a soft laugh. Mrs. Weasley was very observant and like a surrogate mother to close friends of her family. Rena, being the best friend of both Fred and George, fell into the must-protect-and-care-for category.

"It was a long flight," Rena replied honestly, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Well, just have a seat and relax. I'll let you know when dinner is ready," Mrs. Weasley insisted gesturing toward the couch.

"Are you sure?" Rena asked, trying to fight back the yawn. "I could help if you'd like."

"Don't be silly. I can handle cooking by myself. You go ahead and rest. You're a guest here."

"But…"

"Now I won't hear another word on the subject," Mrs. Weasley insisted leading the girl to the couch. "Just have a seat and the boys will be back in no time."

"Alright. Thanks again, Mrs. Weasley."

"Anytime dear."

The red-headed woman smiled the bustled out of the room leaving Rena alone. Rena pushed her hair back off her shoulders and sighed. She didn't mind helping out, but when Mrs. Weasley said no, that was the end of the discussion. She was a sweet woman, but Rena almost would have preferred being kept busy with some housework. Instead, she sat down on the couch, almost immediately regretting it.

Rena wanted to be awake when Fred and George walked through the door. She wanted to see the priceless looks on their faces when they saw she was back. Still, the flight was long and took a lot out of her. She would probably be jet lagged for a few hours. She leaned into the corner of the couch, feeling her eyes droop. She debated getting up and asking Mrs. Weasley where she should put her trunk, but didn't want to be a bother. She let out a soft sigh and rested her head to the side. She thought about pulling out a book and picking up where she had left off, but her eyes drooped further. She really didn't want to fall asleep, but her body was protesting her efforts to stay awake. Each time her eyes closed, she fought to open them again. Before she knew it, she was sliding down on the couch until she was lying more comfortably. She rolled onto her side and, the next thing she knew, she was fast asleep.

Fred and George followed Ron back to the house, cracking jokes and picking on their little brother. They had just been out to a patch a little ways from the house where they could safely practice their Quidditch skills. While there was some doubt as to if Ron would ever make a team, it never hurt to show him the ropes if for no other reason than to have someone to play with and torment.

As they neared the house they began to grow bored with picking on Ron, who already had red ears out of embarrassment and anger. Instead, they turned their attention to something more interesting, pranks. It had been a slow year for pranks for them. They hadn't really pulled anything spectacular off since their second year, right before their friend had left. They really needed something to get back in the game.

"What do you say, Fred? Maybe we really should try the toilet seat thing, just for Mum," George laughed.

"I dunno, George, maybe something bigger…like a Prefect toilet seat," Fred snickered.

"You know Mum won't be pleased if you guys…" Ron began.

"Oh don't worry your little head, Ronny-kins. You won't get in trouble," Fred cooed.

"Of course not. Ickle Ronny-kins has nothing to worry about. In fact it would be better if he just forgot what he heard," George continued.

Ron groaned and mumbled for a while before pulling ahead of his brothers and hurrying toward the house. Fred and George just laughed. It was always fun to pick on Ron, but it was all in good fun. They never meant any real harm. Pranks and jokes were just what they did, what they were good at.

The front door opened to the Burrow and the three boys piled in.

"Hello Mum!" They greeted as the moved past her.

"Hello boys. You didn't get in trouble now did you?" she asked.

"Oh Mum, is that all you think we do?" Fred asked jokingly.

"And how could you assume we would do such a thing with little Ronny-kins with us?" added George.

"I know you two too well. It's always better to ask and give you a chance to fess up first rather than let me find out later," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Why don't you boys go ahead and start getting ready for dinner. It should be ready in little while."

The boys nodded and filed out of the kitchen. Ron went up stairs toward his room to clean up and attempt to get off most of the dirt he had gotten kicked up when they were practicing Quidditch. Fred and George were about to go up the stairs when they caught sight of an unknown trunk in the living room. Curiosity getting the better of them, they crept over. Lying on the couch was a girl who looked about their age, if not a little younger, fast asleep. She had long blonde hair that seemed to reach past her shoulders enough to cover her chest. She wore a teal v-neck t-shirt that came down to a knot at the end of the V contrasting against her fair skin nicely. She also had on a pair of dark denim jeans and her tennis shoes were still on, propped up on the end of the couch. She was cute. Still, neither Fred nor George could figure out who she was. They had a suspicion that they should know, but no name would come to mind. Softly, they circled around her, trying to get a better look to figure out who the stranger in their house was. She stirred once, turning so that she was lying on her back. The twins froze for instant, waiting to make sure she was still asleep before continuing until they stood behind the couch.

"Any ideas, Georgie?" Fred whispered.

"Not at all. How 'bout you Freddie?" George replied.

"Not a clue. Think we should have some fun?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe…"

Fred wasn't given the chance to finish his statement. Mrs. Weasley came into the room. She looked up, her face not at all pleased to see her boys. They both immediately took a step back from the couch.

"Out, both of you," Mrs. Weasley hissed quietly. "Don't you dare wake her up. Let her rest, you can talk later. Now I want both of you out and to go get ready for dinner like I said. If I catch you trying to bother her again, you'll be in big trouble."

"We just wanted to see who it was, Mum," Fred began.

"Honest," finished George.

However, they didn't fight anymore and quietly left the living room, heading up to their rooms. The only thing they could talk about was who the strange girl was in their house. Obviously, their mother knew who it was. The bigger question was, why wouldn't they be told. They threw out ideas and talked animatedly as they cleaned up about who could have possibly been in their living room, but nothing seemed to lead to a correct conclusion.

Rena stirred, breathing deeply. Slowly, she forced her eyes open. She was confused for a moment seeing a strange ceiling and hearing the bustling and clinking of dishes. Her father never cooked especially big meals that would require the clinking of several dishes. The sound of laughter and talk reached her ears more clearly as she sat up. She looked around stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

The Burrow. Yes, she remembered coming to the Burrow, being told to sit and relax while Mrs. Weasley made dinner. She must have fallen asleep much to her disappointment. True, Rena had really needed the chance to rest up, but now she was stiff. Not so much from sleeping on the couch, but having to sleep and ride on a plane, sometimes not in the most comfortable position. In a way, she felt much more tired than she had when she arrived. She knew she would have a chance to rest up later, but she still had to handle the twins. She stood and stretched, standing on her tip toes. She ignored the protests of her muscles as stretched them out. She was prepared to be tackled when the boys saw her. It wouldn't bode well if she was too stiff. After she brushed her hair out to rid it of the tangles, she straightened her clothes, held her head high and took a deep breath. She was ready.

Rena slowly walked out of the living room and toward the dining room. She could hear the chatter and laughter. She couldn't help but smile. She loved hearing the liveliness of the Weasley family. It was much more comforting than the quiet she had come to expect at home. She stepped into the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen. It didn't take long for her to be noticed.

"Ah, there she is!" Mrs. Weasley said getting up and hurrying around the table. "We were beginning to wonder if you would be joining us for dinner, dear."

Rena laughed a little giving the woman a hug.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, I guess I was a little more tired than I thought."

"It's quite alright, quite alright. Now, come, sit down. Have a bite."

She laughed a little as Mrs. Weasley set off to fix her a plate.

"What's your name, dear?" Mr. Weasley asked studying her a moment.

"I'm surprised at least the twins don't recognize me. Did I really change that much?" she replied, her hazel eyes skimming the table before resting briefly on the twins in question.

"Well bless my soul. Rena Sky, is it you dear?"

"What?"

The twins looked up, some food dropping out as they nearly gawked at her. She couldn't help but giggle. Their faces were as priceless as she imagined they would be.

"Yup, it's me," she replied smiling, returning her gaze to Mr. Weasley while the twins continued to gawk.

"Bless my soul, how are you doing? We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. How was your trip?"

"I'm doing alright, just a little tired. I used Muggle transportation and ended up getting here a day early."

"You mean, you were _planning_ on coming? And you didn't even bother to tell us?" Fred exclaimed.

"It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh come, sit down dearie and eat something," Mrs. Weasley insisted coming back with a full plate.

Rena took a seat across from the twins, who had managed to somewhat recompose themselves though they still stared at her.

"You look..." George began.

"Different," finished Fred.

"Well, it has been a year since you last saw me. I really haven't changed much, have I?"

"Still our Pranking Queen I'm sure," George jeered.

She looked away, turning her attention instead to the oldest son still at home.

"Percy, you seem to be doing well," she said, smiling hoping to change the topic.

"And you," he nodded. "How was your school in America?"

"It was certainly...different. I'm looking forward to being able to attend Hogwarts again."

"Bloody hell!" the twins shouted. "You're coming back to Hogwarts?"

"Watch your language boys!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, but was ignored.

"Yeah. My dad thought it would be best for me to finish my education there. He...preferred Hogwarts to my new school."

"You couldn't have let us know earlier?"

"It was another surprise."

"It'll be just like old times!" Fred said, high fiving his twin.

"The Pranking Queen has her triumphant return," cheered George.

"How should we open up the year?" Fed asked turning to Rena.

"So, Ron, you started at Hogwarts last year didn't you? What did you think of your first year?" Rena said turning to the youngest son.

"It was interesting. I met my two best mates, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

They're really great though I haven't heard from Harry for a while."

"Harry Potter? You don't say. The boy who lived?"

"Exactly! He's really great, though he doesn't know much about magic since he grew up with Muggles. But he's pretty brilliant. Hermione is the _really_ brilliant one. She's a bit of a know-it-all, but she's great too," Ron continued eagerly.

Rena smiled.

"Sounds like it was a great first year."

"It really was. And it was so exciting!"

"If you think it was exciting last year, just wait 'til this year," George smiled shoveling another spoonful of potatoes in his mouth.

"Rena isn't known as the Pranking Queen for nothing. We're going to kick it off with one really amazing prank. If it's anything like the second year blow out, it'll be amazing!" Fred said smiling.

Rena nibbled at the food on her plate feeling her stomach start to churn. They were planning the prank of the century to celebrate her coming back and she didn't have the guts at that moment to tell them that she had given up the pranking game.

"Ginny, you start this year don't you?" Rena asked looking at the only daughter.

Ginny was the youngest of the Weasley and the only daughter. She was a pretty young girl and very bright. She smiled and nodded eagerly.

"Yes and I'm so excited! I'll even get to see Harry Potter!" she squealed making Rena giggle.

"Oh why can't you just admit that you have a crush on him and get it over with?" Ron asked rolling his eyes.

Ginny flushed bright red and began denying immediately. Rena couldn't help but laugh with Fred and George. It was cute, Rena thought, that Ginny was so fond of her brother's best friend. Sadly, it wasn't enough to derail the twins.

"Seriously though, Ren," George said turning back to his best friend. "We need to figure out what we can do to really kick off the year. I mean it'll have to be really spectacular."

"You do know that I will have to report any information I know, right?" Percy all but scoffed at his brothers. "As a Prefect…"

"Oh no George! Whatever shall we do? Perfect Prefect Percy is going to rat us out while we're not even in school! However shall we survive?" Fred cried faking panic and fear.

The result was a round of laughter from George, Ron, Ginny, and Rena.

"He does have a point, Percy," Rena giggled. "You can't exactly punish them when they're outside of school. Prefects only have power within Hogwarts and Hogwarts related outings."

Percy's face was tinted red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"And that's why we love you, Ren," Fred smiled. "You can almost always talk us out of whatever mess we wind up in."

Rena giggled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She took the brief opportunity to eat some more. She really did miss the noise and laughter of a family during dinner or even a bunch of friends.

"Regardless, Percy, you know we will always be pulling pranks and there's really nothing you can do about it," George said, drinking down some pumpkin juice.

Everyone knew it was true. No matter how many times they had been caught, punished, or threatened by their mother, the Weasley twins would always pull pranks. It was their signature, their passion. It was simply a part of who they were. For a moment it looked like the attention was successfully diverted from planning a "welcome back" prank.

"Anyway, Ren, we really should start planning this as soon as possible. Knowing you, it'll take the rest of vacation to plan it out!" Fred pressed.

Percy let out a frustrated sigh.

"I really should at least know if you plan on doing something large scale enough to…I don't know, blow a hole in the castle wall or something," he said, clearly unhappy.

"We hadn't thought of that," Fred said smiling.

"But now we have," George added.

"Thanks Perc!" They replied together.

There was little laughter in response. The very idea that one of their pranks could do so much damage was more frightening than accurate. Their goal wasn't to demolish the school. It was to simply make it livelier.

"_Is_ it something to be worried about?" Percy asked again, turning to Rena.

There was a moment of silence as she slowly took a drink out of her cup.

"Well?" he demanded when she didn't answer.

"Oh Percy, don't badger the girl," Mrs. Weasley gently scolded. "It's been a long trip for her. The last thing she's probably thinking about right now is some silly prank."

"Oh come _on_ Mum!" George complained loudly. "This is _Rena_ we're talking about! I bet she pulled some great pranks in America and is going to be telling us every single hilarious detail as soon as she can."

"Right, Ren?" Fred added.

Rena swallowed the pumpkin juice and set her glass down, before picking up her fork again.

"Um, you're mother's right," she said, trying to sound casual. "Actually, I don't really have any fun prank stories to share."

The twins laughed.

"Oh good one Ren!" Fred laughed.

"No fun prank stories. That's hilarious!" George agreed.

The boys kept laughing until they noticed, shortly after, that Rena wasn't laughing with them. She was quietly eating her dinner, careful to avoid eye contact. The table fell oddly silent as the boys stopped laughing and stared at their friend.

"You _are_ joking, right?" George asked with a hint of urgency.

Rena chewed her food slowly. She was afraid to keep eating, yet she didn't want to look rude and stop. After all, it wasn't Mrs. Wesley's cooking that was making her stomach churn. It was the dread of having to explain to her two very best friends and pranking partners that she was no longer the Pranking Queen they had so admired and remembered. The silence dragged on.

"You were saying something earlier about not hearing from Harry for a while, right Ron?" she asked, desperate for a change of subject. "Any idea on what could be keeping him from writing?"

"Dunno," Ron replied. "It probably has something to do with the Muggles he's been living with. He said they're really awful, the absolute worst!"

"Arthur and I were just discussing how if Ron hadn't heard from Harry by the end of the week, then we were going to go see if everything was alright ourselves, weren't we dear?" Mrs. Wesley added, looking at her husband.

"Hm? Oh! Y-yes that's right," Mr. Wesley replied looking up from the nearby _Daily Prophet_. "It does seem odd that he wouldn't have responded for so long and I would really enjoy getting to meet his Aunt and Uncle. I'd _love_ to ask them some questions."

Mrs. Wesley rolled her eyes a little at her husband's obvious obsession and fascination on Muggles and their lives. Still, it was a nice hobby and gave him a decent job at the Ministry. She didn't mind so long as they didn't get into any trouble.

Rena nodded in understanding, hoping the new conversation would pick up. Sadly, her hopes were dashed.

"Rena, _please_ tell us you're joking. The Pranking Queen doesn't have _any_ pranking stories? That's just…" George began.

"Not natural," Fred finished.

Rena took a deep breath and tried to proceed casually. It was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. She used her fork to push her food from one side of the plate to another.

"As unnatural as it may seem, it's true," she shrugged. "I don't have any pranking stories to share."

"Why the hell not?" The twins shouted, ignoring the scolding from Mrs. Weasley.

She shrunk back slightly unsure of how to proceed. She knew their reaction wasn't going to be pretty, but she didn't expect them to react so suddenly. She had been hoping for the news to take longer to sink in so she would be prepared to take the full force of their various reactions.

"I…I just haven't…it's really not that big of a deal," Rena began, trying to find the right words. "I just…I really haven't played a prank since our last prank second year."

Dead silence fell over the table as the boys stared at her, their mouths slightly open as they gapped at her. All of the Weasleys stared at her in shock. They had known her. They had known that she never missed the chance to prank and had planned her fair share of the ones that landed both her and the twins in trouble on more than one occasion.

"W-what are you saying, Rena?" Ron finally whispered, hardly daring to breathe.

There was another long uncomfortable silence as she chewed another small bite of potatoes. It was much harder than she had anticipated to come clean. The pregnant silence seemed to close in on her. She took a minute to keep herself from panicking, reminding herself that her friends would never do anything to hurt her. They would be shocked and try to make sense of her choice, but they would always stand by her. She just needed to say it and get it over with.

"I…I don't pull pranks anymore," she said softly, locking her eyes on her plate. "I gave up the game."

The silence that followed was much shorter before the table burst with a flurry of words and hand gestures with the occasional bit of food flying with them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley started rambling about how impressive it was that she had been able to move on past her pranks and started speculating on what the school in America must have taught her. Percy started going on and on about how wonderful it was that she had given up her "childish antics" and started questioning her on methods that may do the same to Fred and George. Ron seemed a little disappointed. He complained that he had been actually looking forward to seeing one of her infamous pranks after hearing how legendary some of them were. Ginny agreed with Ron. While she didn't always like her brothers' pranks (especially when she was on the receiving end), she knew they enjoyed it and had really been looking forward to seeing what they could come up with. The worst, by far, were Fred and George.

They were both quiet longer than the others, their faces full of disbelief. As it began to really sink in, their mouths started moving.

"You _can't_ be _serious_!" Fred shouted.

"What did they _do_ to you in America?" demanded George.

"Oh boys, don't be rude," Mrs. Weasley scolded. "There's nothing wrong with giving up pranks."

"Rena you poor dear!" George continued leaping up from his seat. "It must have been so awful!"

"They must have tortured you, or charmed you to make you give it up!" Fred chimed getting up as well.

Both boys moved around the table and trapped Rena in a hug between them. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as she tried to slide down in her chair, but she couldn't escape. The boys cooed and cradled her, squeezing her tight.

"Don't worry Ren," Fred said. "It'll be alright."

"We'll have you pranking again in no time," agreed George.

She barely bit back the groan. How could it get any worse? She could handle shock, she could even handle anger. What she _couldn't_ handle was the pity and the trying to fix everything idea.

"You guys really, _really_ don't need to worry about that. It's no big deal, really."

"Did you hear that Freddie? She sounds so lost!"

"We'll just have to bring her back to the dark side, Georgie. Don't worry. The Pranking Queen will return."

The talk finally started to pull from her, though Fred and George wouldn't leave her side. Rena offered to help clean up dinner, but the boys dragged her upstairs to their room instead insisting that they needed to catch up with their best friend. Rena tried not to groan and show her distress. She really didn't know what to expect or how to continue. Regardless of her protests, Rena found herself sitting on Fred's bed facing the two twins who stood with arms crossed, watching her. She shrank down slightly under their stares. She knew the interrogation wouldn't be pretty.

"Alright, Ren," Fred began. "We can take joking, we can _almost_ understand taking a break from pranking since we weren't around…"

"But we cannot, will not accept that you have given up pranking. It's just….impossible!" George finished.

"I'm sorry guys."

"We don't want to hear 'I'm sorry" Ren. We want to hear you laughing and saying you were kidding," George cut her off. "It doesn't seem right, Ren. You were the Pranking Queen! What could have possibly changed your mind?"

She was quiet and averted her gaze. She knew a few things had lead to her giving up pranking. It wasn't just what had happened with her parents and moving to America. She knew she should tell them everything, but she wasn't sure how.

"It's nothing," she murmured.

"You've got to be kidding!" the boys cried exasperated.

There was a moment of silence as they looked from each other to her trying to figure out

what to say. Finally Fred dropped his arms to his side with a frustrated sigh, turning toward Rena. He was ready to go into another speech about how wrong it was for her to give up pranking, but stopped taking in her facial expression.

"Ren?" he began. "What is it? Did something happen?"

His voice was coated with concern making her lock her eyes on her feet. She couldn't bring herself to look at them. Fred sat down next to her and put a hand on her arm.

"Ren," he said again when she didn't look up. "What's wrong?"

George came and sat on the other side of her. For a while there was silence. She couldn't bring herself to break it. She was now regretting ever bringing up that she was no longer pranking. Still, it was better than lying. If she had lied, it would have been much worse.

"Ren?" George asked softly.

"It's really not that big of a deal," she mumbled.

"It is if it makes you this upset," Fred argued. "And as your best friends it is our job to make sure whatever made you so upset is taken care of, even if it means hexing someone into the next century."

She laughed a little at that. She really had missed them. If they would have been with her…. She let out a long sigh and rested her head against Fred's shoulder and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm.

"America just….it just wasn't the same as Hogwarts. I really missed you guys."

"We missed you too, Ren," Fred said wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "We're the Golden Trio of our year! Triple Trouble! It's not the same when we're separated by an ocean."

"It really isn't," she agreed.

"You're still avoiding the subject," George pressed gently. "Did something happen?"

She was quiet for a long time, weighing the options. Finally, she swallowed and stared at the floor.

"It wasn't really anything too bad. Just…just some people being idiots."

"How?" Fred asked.

"Did they do something?" added George.

Rena hesitated. Still, with her two best friends sitting next to her it was much easier to relax and just tell them everything.

"Well, I tried to pull a prank and ended up sitting in the hospital wing for a week waiting for the hexes and curses to subside. Then after that…I decided it really wasn't worth it to try keeping it up. After that, there was some bullying. It wasn't too serious, but…well after having to transfer and having Mum pass….it just wasn't easy. I think the only thing that wasn't too wretched was Quidditch. Even then I got hit with a fair share of bludgers."

"_You_ were _bullied_?" George asked astonished. "Of all people, _you_ were bullied? Didn't anyone do something? It had to be noticed."

"Only when it came time for a Quidditch game. They cared more about whether or not I'd be able to play than picking on me. In between games? I was fair game. Things were run differently there."

"What were the teachers just for show?" Fred spat. "I know _we_ broke rules all the time for fun, but that's different. We at least knew if anyone got hurt, there were teachers to help and at least provide some sort of punishment and protection. Didn't you're house professor…."

"We didn't exactly have houses. We were sorted more by our major interests, what we wanted to or should pursue. I was with Transfiguration and Potions students. Two specialties wasn't very common. I was different. Nobody likes people who are really different from them. The dormitories were separated by gender. Girls can get rather petty and what not anyway."

"So they picked on you because you were in two special classes?" George said, trying to put the pieces together.

"Bullies are bullies wherever you go," she whispered. "They use whatever they can just to get a reaction and make their victims feel worse about themselves. You remember what it was like before we were friends and people knew we were friends."

Fred gave her shoulders a tight squeeze. He _did_ remember what it had been like before the three of them were friends or at least before they were really good friends. Rena had been shy and was often picked on by other kids. In fact, there were two incidences that made their friendship one that would last.

They had been six years old. Rena and her family were meeting the Weasleys at playground not far from her house. Rena, being the quiet little girl she was, had been swinging by herself while she waited. Just as the Weasleys showed up, some boys came over and tried to force her off the swing. They called her names and starting pushing her until she fell to the ground. She whimpered, afraid, as the boys started to close in on her. It was then she had heard two soon to be familiar voices. Fred and George had told the boys to back off and leave her alone. They didn't want to listen and they shoved the twins. The twins shoved back. Soon the boys were all fighting. It didn't take long for their parents to come after that and break it up. From then on, the twins and Rena were hardly ever apart whenever their families got together. A few months later, she had sent a chocolate frog bomb off in their room. It took weeks to get all the frogs out, even after they had stopped jumping. It had been her first prank against them, and it had been very successful. The three were inseparable after that.

Their first year at Hogwarts, a few kids tried to bully her. She was still shy and had a hard time standing up to people. They thought they could walk all over her. Then the twins stepped in. There were only a few fights, but mostly there were a ton of pranks. Once everyone knew that she was part of the pranking team, the bullying slowly subsided and she even stated making new friends. Things perked up for her and it seemed like Hogwarts would be the most wonderful place in the world. She had her two best friends, her pranking career was taking off, and she was one of the top in her year.

Unfortunately, toward the end of her second year, her mother passed. Rena was heartbroken. She took her mother's death very hard. The school had even agreed to send her home so that she could be with her father and extended family. It wasn't long after that she learned that she would be moving to America and everything had changed.

Fred rested his chin on top of Rena's head and gave her another tight squeeze. He hated seeing his best friend in such a state of distress and looking so sad. He wanted to make everything better, but knew only time would make that happen.

"It's going to be okay, Ren," he said rubbing her arm soothingly. "You're back now, right? Those losers can't hurt you."

"And if anyone even tries to do anything, you know we have your back," George added putting a hand on her back.

She let out a small laugh, wrapping an arm around each of them. It really was good to be back around familiar and friendly faces. She gave them a tight squeeze which they returned. They stayed, for a moment, in that hug letting a comfortable silence settle over them. It had been much easier than Rena predicted to tell them what had happened. She didn't have to go into detail. They understood and they were still there for her. It made her smile. She felt…safe when she was with them. After a while they pulled apart.

"There's nothing to worry about, Ren. We'll get you back to your old self in no time. I know you miss pranks. You can't deny that one," George said with an encouraging smile.

She returned it weakly.

"Okay, I will admit it, I do miss pulling pranks, especially with you guys," she bean, then held up her hand as their faces brightened. "However, I don't pull pranks anymore. I…I really have given up the game. I don't think I'll ever prank again."

"Oh say it ain't so!" Fred cried over dramatically.

She giggled at his reaction. It was all in good fun and she knew he was just teasing, but underneath there was a hint of seriousness. He wanted her to go back to pranking, they both did and she knew it. Still, she couldn't bring herself to prank.

"I'm sorry, Fred, but I'm afraid it is so," she replied smiling. "I'm all washed up. The Pranking Queen has retired at the ripe age of 14."

"Still so young," George said solemnly, shaking his head.

She giggled some more and leaned back against the wall the bed was propped up against and looked at them.

"So what's been new around here with you two? It seems like we've been talking an awful lot about me," she asked casually.

"Not much. Just working on some new prank ideas," Fred began.

"Picking on our brothers and sister," George continued. "Oh!"

"And guess what?" they said in unison.

"What?" she asked smiling.

"Dad's bewitched a car," they replied with matching mischievous smirks.

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You're kidding," she replied.

"Nope," Fred smirked.

"We're dead serious," George added.

"It's absolutely wicked," Fred continued.

"Sadly, Dad isn't quite keen on the idea of letting us drive," George finished with disappointment in his tone.

"Of course not," Rena giggled. "I can see it now! Front page of the _Daily Prophet_ 'Weasley boys crash flying car and nearly expose the magical world.' Oh yes, I'm sure your Dad would be _really_ eager to let you two fly the car."

"Your lack of faith in us hurts, Ren," Fred said, feigning hurt. "You honestly think we would crash?"

"Well, it wouldn't be completely out of the question," she smiled. "Were you planning on driving it anyway anytime soon?"

"Now what ever gave you that idea?" George asked raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged.

"Curious. Just like it's curious that Ron hasn't heard back from Harry. Are the Muggles he lives with really that bad?" she asked.

"Dunno," they replied.

"But we would like to find out," Fred continued.

She nodded. She was curious, but was pretty sure she would never have her curiosity satisfied. She had become more timid after dealing with the various bullies in America. She took fewer chances. Still, she hoped being back with Fred and George she would regain her courage again. She didn't like being timid and shy. She wanted to be who she was before her mother died, outgoing and willing to take the occasional risk. With best friends like Fred and George, it would hopefully not be too difficult to fall back into routine.

They were only given another half an hour before Mrs. Weasley called for them to get ready for bed. It was Rena's cue to leave the boys. She bid them goodnight and moved to Ginny's room. Together, they set up a small bed on the floor for Rena to sleep on while they discussed things like Ginny's crush on Harry, her upcoming year at Hogwarts, and other girl things. Finally, they both settled into bed.

"Hey Ren? Are you really never going to play another prank?" Ginny asked as she lay in her bed. "I mean, it seems kind of odd doesn't it? You, Fred, and George were always pulling pranks. It's like a part of who you are."

There was a long pause of silence. Rena turned over and stared at the ceiling. She turned the idea over several times in her mind. It did feel odd. Still, she had no idea if she could prank again in the same way she had no idea if she could give it up for good.

"I don't know," she replied at last. "I guess…I guess only time will tell."

Rena stayed awake for several hours. It had only been a short while after they had said goodnight that Ginny's breathing became steady and Rena knew she was asleep. Rena couldn't help but continue to turn over their last conversation in her head. Ginny had made some valid points and gave the former prankster more than enough to think about.

It was probably close to midnight when Rena quietly crawled out of bed. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. She grabbed her shoes and denim jacket before quiet creeping down the stairs. She waited until she reached the kitchen before slipping on her shoes and pulled her jacket on and bundling it tight around her. She paused to listen, making sure everyone was asleep then slipped out the door.

Fred and George slipped out of bed and crept up to Ron's room. They shook him awake and had him get dressed. Together, they quietly slipped down the stairs, stopping every so often to listen for any sound that could give them away. Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairs, slipped on their shoes and snuck out into the garage. Fred held the keys tightly in his hand to prevent them from making any noise in fear that the sound may wake up their parents. He opened the driver's side door and stopped short. Sitting in the between the driver and passenger side, with feet propped up on the dash, eyes closed, was Rena.


End file.
